Goose rescue raised faith in public service

December 18, 2007

We live on a pond on the south side and recently had to call South Bend Animal Control to report an injured Canada goose. It could not fly and with the pond frozen over it would not survive. Within an hour, Luke, an animal control officer, arrived and, after a short "wild goose chase," was able to catch it.

Several hours later, I called Animal Care and Control back to thank them for their assistance and I was informed that the goose was already on the way to a local wild bird rehabilitation expert.

In an age when we frequently hear about how bad government agencies and programs are, it is nice to know there are some good things out there as well. Thanks to all at South Bend Animal Care and Control for a difficult job well done. And to all who help injured or abandoned animals, best wishes for this Christmas season.

Stephen VigneaultSouth Bend

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Outraged again

As tired as I am when I get home from the job, just when I think I've reached the bottom of my energy reserve, along come our governor and legislators, bringing a whole new supply of outrage to reinvigorate me.

I cannot describe the feeling I get when I realize that our state runs with the front of the pack when it comes to foreclosing on homes, never mind that we also rank 11th in the world when it comes to CO2 emissions, according to the Carbon Monitoring for Action Web site, contributing more to global climactic degradation than many entire countries.

My chest swells with pride, or could that be some as yet undiagnosed respiratory ailment?

You won't hear facts like this over the standard media, busy as they are bringing us the McNews. Who needs to know where candidates stand on issues as long as we know the size of their bank balances or their standing in the latest pundit poll?

We hear nothing about the extended stays for troops in Iraq, coldly calculated to end one day short of what would allow them to qualify for the benefits they deserve. Have we given up? Are we too tired? Have we, in fact, been beaten into submission? It might be a long while before things get better, but if we don't wake up and get active, it's only a short bit before things get much worse.

Jack DalyNew Carlisle

Gratitude

On behalf of the St. Joseph's High School community, I want to extend my sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks to our faithful community servants -- the South Bend Police Department, South Bend Fire Department and the St. Joseph County Police -- for escorting our football team during their travels to and from Indianapolis. The welcome home escort through town and the arch created by the fire department provided an emotional moment for all of us. It is a memory that our students and families will have for a lifetime.

We are grateful for the show of support by members of the community, including U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly and Mayor Stephen Luecke's office, represented by Common Council President Tim Rouse. Thanks also to The Tribune and the local television media, whose coverage made the experience all the more exciting and memorable.

We would also like to thank our outstanding masters of ceremonies at our two pep rallies: Terry McFadden (Class of '79) generated even more enthusiasm in an already electric gym for the send-off rally and Chuck Freeby led a welcome home celebration for our state runner-up team.

We are proud of our student-athletes, the 2007 football team and head coach Kevin Downey and his staff for representing St. Joe with class and good sportsmanship.